Rory McIlroy

Awards: PGA Player of the Year, Vardon Trophy, Byron Nelson Award, European Tour Golfer of the Year

Born on May 4th, 1989 in the picturesque town of Holywood, Northern Ireland, Rory McIlroy is already an accomplished professional golfer. He is a member of both the PGA Tour and the European Tour. Rated by the British magazine Sports Pro as the second most marketable athlete in the world, the young golf player has already broken two world records. In 2011 he became the youngest golfer to earn $10 million on the European Tour, and then, in 2012, he became the youngest professional golf player to earn $10 million on the PGA Tour. Rory McIlroy turned to a professional golfing career on September 18th, 2007, just a day before the Quinn Direct British Masters and, ever since, he has achieved ten professional wins. These include six PGA Tour wins, five European Tour wins and one Asian Tour win. Rory signed a major endorsement deal with Nike in January 2013 for approximately $100 million. In 2012, he was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire for his significant contribution to sports.

Early Passion for Golf

Rory is the only child of Rosie and Gerry McIlroy. His father introduced him to the sport from a very young age and he has constantly supported him in both his amateur and professional career. When Rory was only two years old, he hit a 40-yard drive, which further determined his father to coach him and to take him daily to the golf course. According to his parents, he even took his new golf club to bed with him. His first appearance on the European Tour took place shortly after turning sixteen years old, when he competed in the 2005 British Masters. When he was still seventeen he managed to make the cut to the European Tour at the 2007 Dubai Desert Classic. However, being at that point only an amateur golf player, he had to forego a substantial prize of more than $10,000.

Accomplishments

At the 2007 British Masters, Rory managed to shoot a 290 and tie for 42nd place. In October 2007, at the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship, he finished only 3 strokes behind Nick Dougherty, that year s winner of the championship. This outstanding performance earned him the honor of being the youngest Affiliate Member in the history of the European Tour to earn a tour card.

In May of 2012, Rory McIlroy topped world rankings again, despite a play-off loss to American golfer Rickie Fowler, at the Wells Fargo Championship. He made his first Masters Tournament appearance in April, 2009, and played in his first Open Championship as a professional golfer in July, 2009. Rory missed out on winning the 2010 PGA Championship and in May 2011 and he was severely criticized for skipping The Players Championship, which offers the highest prize of any tournament in golf. On June 19th, 2011, Rory McIlroy won the coveted U.S. Open by eight strokes better than Australian golf player Jason Day. On August 12th, 2012 he won the PGA Championship, again by eight strokes, this time over English golfer David Lynn. In addition to being the PGA Tour leading money winner in 2012, Rory also won several prestigious awards such as PGA Tour Player of the Year, European Tour Golfer of the Year and the Vardon Trophy.